Combination water and air conditioning apparatus



Aug. 20, 1940. W F, AUSTIN COMBINATION WATER AND AIR CONDITONING APPARATUS Filed June l5, 1958 IIIA Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION WATER AND AIR. CONDITIONING APPARATUS Application June 13, 193s, serial No. 213,327

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a combination water and air conditioning apparatus for buildings, es-

pecially dwellings, and it has for its object to if desired, or at least while the apparatus is in operation under either of those conditions.

To these ends I have provided an apparatus of the character described which may be constructed and operate as 4set forth in the following description, the several novel features of the invention being separately pointed out and defined in the claims at the close thereof.

The accompanying drawing illustrates, more or less diagrammatically, a combination water and air conditioning apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention.

The illustrating embodiment of my invention includes a heater or furnace I0 provided with an oil burner II whose blower and oil pump are operated, as usual, by an electric motor, not shown, arranged within a current-supplying circuit I2. This furnace I0 is disposed within a housing or casing I3 which is larger than, and spaced away from, the furnace to provide an air space between the two which is divided diametrically by a partition I4 to provide within said housing an inlet chamber I5 and an outlet chamber I 6, the top of said partition terminating short of the top wall of housing I3 so as to leave a passage I'I connecting the upper ends of said two chambers.

Adjacent to the bottom of chamber I5 the housing I3 is made with an inlet opening I8 connected by a iiue I9 with a register 20 incorporated in the first iioor 2| of the building within which the apparatus is arranged.

Adjacent to the bottom of chamber I6 the housing I3 is made with an outlet opening 22 connected by a flue 23 with the interior of the building above the oor 2|.

The two ilues I9 and 23 are connected by a by-pass flue 24 and at the junction of flues I9 and 24 vis provided a valve or damper 25 xed on a rock-shaft 26. This rock-shaft carries a sprocket wheel 21 con-nected by a sprocket chain 28 with a sprocket wheel 29 fast on a shaft 30 supported in bearings provided upon the exterior of fiue I9. The shaft 29 is provided with a crank-handle 3| by means of which it is manually turned in said bearings and when thus operated said shaft acts through the sprockets and chain vto pivotally adjust the valve or damper on the axis of shaft 26 so that it may be set either in a horizontal position as shown in the drawing where it shuts off communication between flues I9 and 24 and establishes communication between flue I9 and inlet chamber I5, or in a vertical position where it shuts off communication between iiue I9 and inlet chamber I5 and establishes communication between ues I9 and 24.

Within the flue I9 is arranged a blower 32 whose shaft is connected by a belt 33 and suitable pulleys with the armature shaft of an electric motor 34 by which the blower is operated. As shown, the outlet of blower 32 is directed toward the inlet I8 of housing I3. Thus when inlet I8 isopen and blower 32 is operating air is forced downwardly through flue I9 from above iioor 2l and then laterally into inlet chamber I5; then upwardly through said chamber, over the top of partition I4 and thence downwardly through outlet chamber I6 and outlet 22 into flue 23 which returns it to the upper part of the building. During its passage through housing I3 the air is heated by the furnace Ill.

The blower-driving motor 34 is arranged within a current-supplying circuit 35 in series with a room thermostat 36 of usual construction within the upper part of the building and this thermostat acts automatically to open the circuit 35 and stop blower 32 when the temperature within the upper part of the building rises to a predetermined degree. When the blower is thus stopped the movement of the air through housing I3 and flues I9 and 23 is also stopped.

A circuit-controlling thermostat 3'I of usual construction is mounted in a wall of housing I3 and exposed to the air within the latter, and this thermostat 31 is arranged within the circuit I2 ofburner I I in series with the latter. Thus when the blower 32 is stopped as described and the temperature of the stationary air within the housing I3 rises to a predetermined degree, the thermostat 3l opens circuit I2 and stops the burner.

It will be clear that when the room temperature falls to a predetermined degree the thermostat 36 will again close circuit 35 and start blower 32, and also that when the temperature of the air within housing I3 falls to a predetermined degree the thermostat 3l will again close circuit I2 and start the burner.

Within the upper part of housing I3, above furnace I0 and partition I4, is arranged a pipe coil 38 constituting a manifold to one end of which water is supplied through a pipe 39 and whose opposite end has connected with it a hot water service pipe 40 leading upwardlyinto the upper part of the building where it may be connected with the usual hot water storage tank, not shown.

During cold weather the valve or damper 25 occupies the horizontal position shown in-the drawing and blower 32 is operated to circulate the air through housing I3, ues I9 and 23, and the upper part of the building so long as the circuit 35 is closed at thermostat 36. When circuit 35 III is opened automatically at thermostat 38 the flow of air through housing I3 is stopped and should the temperature of the 'air within housing I3 then rise to a predetermined point the thermostat 31 automatically opens circuit I2 and stops burner II. When circuit 35 is closed again by thermostat 36 and the passage of air through housing I3 is 'resumed then thermostat 31 will respond to a fall of the temperature of the air within the housing and close the-circuit I2 of burner II.

During warm weather the valve or damper 25 is j placed in a vertical position where it closes inlet I8 and opens by-pass .24. Thus when blower 32 is operating a current of air circulates continuously from flue I9 through .by-pass 24 -to flue 23, through the upper part of the building and back to flue I9 again, so that koccupants of the build- Aing are subjected to the cooling effects of the same. In` order to maintain the blower 32 continuously in operation during warm weather I may provide a switch 4I which is left open during cold weather and closed during warm wea-ther. This switch is arranged in a shuntcircuit connected with circuit 35 and when closed it short circuits the thermostat 36 and maintains said circuit 35 closed continuously.

While the apparatus is thus operating during warm weather the still air trapped within housing I3 may be heated by furnace I0 and transmit its heat to manifold 3B. Thus the -apparatus may be employed to supply hot water to the building the year around without interfering with the cooling eects produced in the upper part of the building during warm weather by the current of a hot air heating furnace including a jacket or t housing surrounding a heater and having arranged within the housing and adjacent to the top thereof a manifold with which are connected a water supplying pipe and a service pipe, said furnace having damper. or valve mechanism for controlling the movement of the air through the jacket or housing, and one adjustment of said damper mechanism providing for delivery of heated air from the interior of said housing and another adjustment of said damper mechanism preventing the delivery of heated air from said housing (thereby causing a body of air to dwell within the latter to heat the manifold. 'Ihis provides an economical all the year around hot water service and at the same timethe apparatus may be adjusted to cause or prevent the delivery of heated air. Also, when adjusted to prevent the delivery of heated air a body of said air is trapped or caused to dwell within the housing -to heat the manifold.

Herein have illustrated my invention as embodied in a forced circulation system or apparatus, but by modificati-on within the scope of the appended claims it will be clear to those skilled in this art that the invention may be embodied in gravity or other types of heating apparatus.

What I claim is:

l. ln a heating system, a furnace; a casing inclosing said furnace and having inlet and outlet openings adjacent Ito the.bottom thereof, said casing being spaced away from Ithe top and sides of said furnace to provide an air space between said two elements; a iiue connecting thev inlet opening with a compartment that is to be airconditioned; a second ue connecting the outlet opening with said compartment; a -by-.pass iiue whereof one end is connected with said firstmentioned nue and the opposite end is connected with said second flue; a blower for forcing air through said ii-ues and casing; valve mechanism controlling the discharge of air from said firstmentioned ue, said mechanism being adjustable so that it can be set to elect the discharge of air through said inlet opening into said casing to the exclusion of said by-pass flue or through said by-lpass flue to the exclusion of saidinlet opening and casing; a vertical parti-tion within said casing dividing the interior of the latter so as to provide the same with an inlet chamber with which said inlet opening communicates and with an outlet chamber with which said outlet opening communicates and so as to direct the air upwardly from said inlet opening, across lthe top of the furnace and thence downwardly to said outlet opening when said valve mechanism is set to effect the discharge of air through said inlet opening; a water-holding manifold within the upper portion of said casing and disposed above said partition and furnace in the path of the air which passes across the top of the latter; a conduit through which w-ater is supplied to said manifold, and a conduit through which water is delivered from said manifold.

2. The combination with a building structure having a compartment, of a furnace; a casing inclosing said furnace and having inlet and outlet openings adjacent to the bottom thereof, said casing being spaced away from the top and sides of said furnace to provide an air space between said two elements; a iiue connecting the inletl opening with said compartment; a second flue connecting the outlet opening with said compartment; a by-pass flue whereof one end is connected with said first-mentioned flue and the opposite end communicates with said compartment; a blower for forcing air through said flues and casing; valve mechanism con-trolling the discharge of air from said first-mentioned nue, said mechanism :being adjustable so that it can be set to effect the discharge of air through said inlet opening and casing to the exclusion of said lbypass iiue or alternatively through said by-pass flue Ito the exclusion of said inlet opening and casing; a vertical partition within said casing dividing the interior of the latter so as to provide the same with an inlet. chamber with which said inlet opening communicates and with an outlet chamber with which said outlet opening communicates and so as to direct the air upwardly from said inlet opening, across the top of the furnace and thence downwardly to said outlet opening when said valve mechanism is set to eect the discharge of air through said inlet opening; a water-holding manifold within the upper portion of said casing and disposed above said ypartition and furnace in the path of the air which passes across the top of the, latter; a conduit through which water is supplied to said manifold, and a conduit through which water is Y 

